Membership

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE IAQM?

The requirements for the different IAQM membership levels are outlined in the IAQM Competency-based Membership Guide. Professional members are expected to have a certain level of professional experience along with competence in five key areas.

Associate members will have a relevant degree (e.g. environmental sciences, geography, mathematics, engineering or physics) and have been working in the field of air quality for at least a year full-time, either in research, consultancy, local/regional/national government, technology (or equivalent post graduate experience in academia). An Associate is expected to have a basic knowledge/awareness of all and further understanding in at least two competencies

Full Members of IAQM are expected to have, as a minimum, an undergraduate degree and 5-years’ full-time ambient and/or indoor air quality work experience, or equivalent. A Member is expected to have average knowledge/awareness in all areas and deeper understanding/application in at least two or three competencies

Candidates whose roles are only partially on air quality management will need to indicate on their application form how much of their working week, on average, is spent working on air quality management work.

All candidates, except those for Affiliate membership, are asked to demonstrate their competency in five core areas of air quality. This may be experience gained through a combination of taught courses, work experience and/or undertaking research and development projects. Evidence is required for the following five competencies:

Fundamentals of air pollution | Policy, regulation and legislation | Technical know-how, guidance and tools | Analytical thinking/knowledge application | Cross discipline working including sustainability and working ethically

There are no specialist air quality management undergraduate degrees offered in the UK, and therefore air quality management practitioners hold a wide range of degrees. Typically, their degrees are in science, engineering, maths or geography (sometimes with a module in air quality). The Membership Sub-Committee determine the relevance of your studies to the field

How will my degree contribute towards experience?

BSc:An air quality module or air quality dissertation as part of a bachelor or other master’s degree is considered equivalent to 1 to 3 months’ of work experience (depending on the duration).

MSC: An MSc in Air Quality Management or similar would typically be considered equivalent to 12 months’ work experience (other environmental masters typically 6 months).

PhD: A PhD in a field directly relating to air quality research would typically be considered equivalent to 24 months’ work experience (other environmental topic PhD typically 12 months).

I have a degree but it is not listed by the IES as a relevant degree title, can I still apply?
If you do not have one of the degrees listed by the IES, your experience of working in air quality (indoor or outdoor) over a number of years and/or relevant degree modules may nonetheless be sufficient for IES and IAQM membership. In some cases, individuals may not meet the requirements for IES Full or Associate membership, but can still join the IAQM given that they have the required experience and are an Affiliate member of the IES.
How long will the application take?
The IAQM Competency-based membership application process was launched in January 2025. Applications received from the 1st January 2025 will be assessed from the 1 April 2025. IAQM will be happy to provide additional support and feedback on applications made in the first six months after the launch of the new membership application process. After this initial period membership applications will be reviewed in line with the following timelines:

  • Affiliate applications will be determined directly by the IES on a monthly basis.
  • Associate and Member applications will be passed to the IAQM Sub-Committee for review every two months.
  • Fellow applications will be reviewed by the IAQM Sub-Committee every six months. Following approval of the written submissions, prospective fellows will be asked to attend an interview with two IAQM Fellows.

Fellowship

What is the criteria for IAQM Fellowship?

Details of the application process to become an IAQM Fellow is outlined in the IAQM Competency-based Membership Guide

Existing Full Members of IAQM with at least 15 years of experience in the air quality field, who have a distinguished career having made a sustained and significant contribution for a minimum of 10 years, e.g. advancement of air quality improvement, knowledge, policy, legislation and/or professional guidance/standards. It is not a pre-requisite to be a Chartered professional although this will be considered in the evaluation.

A Fellow is expected to have good knowledge/awareness in all competency areas and be able to evidence their specialism and leadership in at least three competencies.

Can I access support for my IAQM Fellowship application?

There is the option for candidates to get the support of a sponsor, an existing IAQM Fellow who will mentor the applicant and become familiar with the applicant’s work, to support the information provided as a true record (IAQM will provide a list of IAQM Fellows for anyone without an existing contact).

Code of conduct

Why do you publish a code of conduct?
IAQM exists to maintain and enhance professional standards in the field of air quality. It achieves this partly by ensuring that only those people who are sufficiently qualified and actively working in the subject are granted professional membership. This aim also needs to be met by members adhering to the appropriate standards as a condition of membership. We publish a Code of Conduct (pdf) to which members must adhere. The Code applies to all its Professional Members, irrespective of the professional role they fulfil and the countries in which they practice. This is back up by a disciplinary process for Members who are found to have broken the Code.
What happens if I don't abide by the code?
Failure to abide by this code could result in an individual’s membership being suspended or revoked, following a formal complaint being made and implementation of the procedure for investigating such a complaint, as outlined in Section 10 of the IES byelaws (pdf).
How do I make a complaint against an IAQM member?
You should download the Complaint against a member form (docx) and following the instructions within the document.